Feral hogs are a problem in our area.
A big problem.
Just ask any farmer. The hogs are voracious eating machines and can do an incredible amount of damage to crops in a short time. The costs runs into the millions in our area and up to $50 million a year in agricultural damage across Texas alone.
There are an estimated 2.5 million feral hogs in Texas. That's a lot of hogs. Hunters do their part to keep the population down. The meat is considered a delicacy for the table and the tusks are prized as trophies. The hogs are also trapped using bait and cages.
But it's not enough. The hogs just keep on multiplying and keep on damaging crops.
Now the state wants to try something new.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has approved using a poison called Kaput Feral Hog Lure to control the pests.
The active ingredient is warfarin, which is also used to kill rats. It inhibits blood clotting. In much smaller doses, it is also prescribed for humans as a blood thinner. This has caused quite a stir. Environmentalists fear the long-term effects, especially as scavenger animals such as coyotes and vultures feed on the carcasses of dead hogs. They say this could harm the state's ecosystem.
Hunters are also worried that hogs which have consumed the poison but not yet died could be harvested and their meat prove dangerous to humans.
The manufacturer says those concerns are overstated and the substance has low toxicity.
We aren't so sure.
Feral hogs are a huge concern. And we understand the desire for more effective control. But aside from the concerns of tainted meat, there is also the fact that rats in time develop a resistance to warfarin. That makes them even harder to kill. We think that's a valid concern for hogs, too. This poison might be a benefit in the relatively short run, but make for bigger problems over time.
Still, what we are doing now isn't working, so it may be time to try something different. We hope the use of the poison is monitored as closely as possible. And if there are significant adverse effects, then the approval to use it rescinded.